Newsletter - June 2023

Hurry up an wait...

June was a month riddled with yet another dozen or so "we'll get back to you" lines from our municipalities on pressing issues that was submitted more than 2 months ago.

At first we though it was only us in Hoedspruit struggling with this problem but after a couple of meetings with SBI (Small Business Institue) chamber members, we came to the conclusion that almost every town out there is currently struggling with this issue. Lack of timely communication & feedback from authorities.

It goes without saying that there are municipality members who go out of their way to assist, but also members whose most preferable form of feedback is "I will get back to you".

We have grown accustomed to this but the community isn't always as understanding. For this reason we would like to assure you, that with the limited amount of time we have available between our full time work schedules, we are trying our best to get you the answers to your questions and/or concerns as quick as possible.

We would like to ask for your patience as we try and improve communication channels and timelines. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Tourism Initiative...continued

In June we did a press release on the tourism initiative we have undertaken to negotiate a truce with the villages surrounding Orpen. We recently had our 2nd meeting whereby the Garden of Life NGO came to do a presentation to the committee about training up the youth to create their own vegetable gardens. The demonstration was a hit with all attendees and we would like to set up a special event for Mandela day to start a self-provisioning project for the Hoedspruit & surrounding communities. This will enable families to create sustainable gardens, create entrepreneurs and cultivate goodwill between communities.

We requested a quote from the Garden for Life team to hold the workshop on 17 & 18 July. The cost is almost R60 000 and unfortunately HCS does not have the funds to cover this.

We would like to reach out to the community to ask for donations, expertise, soil, manure, seeds, old second hand tyres and/or empty 2 litre bottles that may help to get this project off the ground.

The aim is to not only include indigent communities around Hoedspruit, but get the schools, farming communities and other organisations involved. We are also looking for local farmers that may be able to present the training which would bring down the cost considerably.

If this is a project that you can sink your teeth into, do not hesitate to contact us to sign up as a participant or volunteer.

Articles about the Garden Of Life NGO successes:

- The Story of the little vegetable factories

- Bringing hope to hungry communities

Wishes do come true

Great news in Hoedspruit over the past few weeks was the progress of the Hoedspruit Private Hospital and approval from the Municipality to put up traffic calming measures in the form of speedbumps on the R527 stretch through town. (The second phase will be in Kampersrus.)

Read the full story about the Hoedspruit Private Hospital in the recent edition of Kruger2Canyon .

The speed bump construction will start in the first week of July with 5 speedbumps strategically placed between the Drakensig turnoff, all the way up to the 4-way stop at the Total Garage at Spar. The municipality couldn't comment on the exact specifications but the contractor will assess and construct within standard regulations. The plan is for bumps between 1.5m to 3m wide and about 140mm high.

This project was encouraged after the slew of accidents and speeding issues caught on cameras in town.

(Most of) The community requested speed calming measures as the visibility and availability of our traffic officers are not prevalent enough in town. Unfortunately, the area of coverage in Maruleng makes it very difficult to have dedicated officers, stationed in Hoedspruit 24/7. Mr. Mogoboya - Chief Traffic Officer - has already submitted a request to the Municipality to budget for a couple of extra officers. The application has been successful and we are waiting to hear when we can welcome the new members of the traffic department.

For the special guests onboard the "Sceptivo Train" - we have heard your [out] cries... Yes, the municipality knows that the bumps need to be built as per regulation. Yes, the municipality knows that they need to put up proper signage. Yes, there will probably be a transition period whereby drivers forget about the bumps. Yes, we know that racing over the bumps will most likely damage your car, so don't. No, this was not the only solution, but the quickest, least noisy and most voted for solution.

Remember, it will ALWAYS be impossible to satisfy everyone all the time. The alternative in this case might be saving a life.

What's on in Hoedspruit

If you haven't already browsed our new website, be sure to do so and bookmark the events page. There is no shortage of activities, shows, festivals and things to do in Hoedspruit. The calendar is updated daily with new events and you are even able to register your events on the website for free.

So what's on in July?

1 July: Farmers Market at the Farmhouse

7 - 15 July: Warren Carey Art Exhibition

Every Saturday: Parkrun at Thirsty Giraffe

21 July: Saaldans at Mariepskop Laerskool

26-29 July: Persian Carpet Auction at Mariepskop Laerskool

27 July: Ken jou man se wortel Ladies evening at Francines

27 July: Coffee with the Holy Spirit evening at Driehoek Coffee Bar

29 July: Silent Disco at the Greater Kruger Hotel School

For more

But wait, there's more....

One of our members WEZWOT, has successfully launched their app on the Google Play store and iPhone store. This is the new must have app in Hoedspruit to list your business, events and see what is on. You get Wezzers and Wotters.

What is a WEZZER? It's a person who wants to gain access to lots of great offers.

What is a WOTTER? It's a business/person, based locally, who wants to gain more customers daily.

Extremely easy to sign up and use. And they have introduced a directory as well.

Don't miss out, get the app now!